Liquid container with extensible spout



July 3, 1951 L. A. SHERRY LIQUID CONTAINER WITH EXTENSIBLE SPOUT Filed April 14, 1949 ATTORNE Y5 Patented July 3, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIQUID CONTAINER WITH EXTENSIBLE SPOUT 2 Claims.

This invention relates to liquid containers having extensible spouts which may be pulled out to facilitate the pouring of the liquid from the container.

Such spouts have been incorporated in containers of the package type adapted for the vending, of the liquid and to be discarded by the ultimate user after the liquid has been removed. In one forin, this type is made from waxed paper and is adapted for the vending of liquid beverages such aslinilk. In this form, it has been necessary to make the spout relatively small in size because there has been no way of providing a sufliciently inexpensive liquid-tight seal for the spout when extended otherwise than by using a spout partially punched from the paper material to provide a flat-sided folded construction. In this fashion the spout can be made so that the liquid beverage runs from unjointed paper pieces folded outwardly to provide a spout construction, but its flat-sided nature requires a small-sized spout to provide the necessary stiffness, The small spout size provided in this fashion is a disadvantage. Furthermore, this type of construction isbest adapted only to the bag type of waxed paper container providing a sloping top for the construction. The box type of waxed paper container with its flat horizontal top is not so well adapted to this construction, and so theusers of this type have been deprived of the advantages ofany'kind of extensible spout.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide the box type of rectangular waxed paper container. with an extensiblespout which will be substantially lfiaikproof when extended and which will not unreasonably increase the cost of the container. Another object is to provide a leakproof extensible spout of relatively large diameter and which does not necessitate the use of partially punched, hinged elements having flat sides with their attendant size limitations. Other objects may be inferred from the following:

A specific example of the invention is disclosed hereinbelow with the aid of the accompanying drawings for the purpose of explaining the principles and operation of the invention. The exact form shown may be modified somewhat, providing the principles and mode of operation are retained.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a side elevation of a box type, waxed paper, liquid beverage container made in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of Fig. 1 with the closing cap removed; and

liquid-tight package.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2 and showing only the upper portion of the device.

This illustrated example of the invention is in the form of a liquid beverage-package container comprising a waxed paper box I having a waxed paper flat top portion 2 with a circular hole 3 therethrough. The elements are associated in the customary manner used in the case of the famaliar half-pint milk and cream container. The shape is completely rectangular and has none of the characteristics of a bag such as is sometimes used for milk and cream. The circular hole 3 may have a diameter comparable to that; customarily provided for this type with the under'standing that the hole is completely circular and that the usual stopper or closure is not provided.

A waxed paper, cylindrical pouring spout t is -reciprocativel press-fitted in this hole 3 so it may be extended from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 3. This spout 4 may have flanged ends 5 for preventing its complete withdrawal from the hole 3 in either direction and the lower one of the flanges may be pierced by holes 6 through which the liquid may flow from the container, Any kind of stopper may be used, but the downwardly-flanged cap I or its equivalent has novel advantages as will presently be understood.

The waxed paper from which the top portion 2 and the spout 4 are made may be of; the usual Weight commonly used in fabricating this type of Waxed paper container. This paper is normally elastically flexible and nothing should be done to alter this characteristic. It should be heavily coated with wax.

When ready for sale, the container, full of milk, cream or other liquid beverage, has the appearance shown by Fig. 1 with the extensible spout 4 fully retracted and the cap I in place. This cap 1 may also be made of heavily waxed paper. A slight heating then serves to cause all of the wax surfaces to cohere and produce a Additional wax may be used for sealing.

The ultimate user naturally pulls up on the cap 1 to get it off. The flange Ia. of this cap is made deep enough to provide a considerably greater surface contact between it and the upper end of the spout 4 than is provided by the edge of the top portion 2 around the hole 3 and which engages the side of the spout 4. Therefore, the upward pull breaks the wax seal between the spout and the top portion first, and continued 3 upward pull causes the spout to extend until its flange 5 engages the bottom of the top portion 2. Continued upward pulling then breaks loose the cap 1, so that the device is ready for use with an extended spout, and all of its attendant conveniences. Any cap may be used which grips the spout with greater strength than the spout is grippedby the top edge surrounding the hole 3.

Since the parts are made of paper, which is flexible in an elastic manner, and since the spout is press-fitted fairly tightlyin the hole 3, the ultimate seal between the spout and the hole periphery is substantially liquid-tight. The cylindrical spout shape provides much better crushing resistance than fiat-sided shapes and is inherently rigid. The wax on the paper provides a lubricating action, which permits the spout 4 to pull upwardly in a relatively easy manner without any of the parts tearing or becoming roughened. When the spout is fully extended, the elasticity of the parts, causing inward pressure between the spout and the hole periphery, causes a slight plastic flowing of the Wax on the parts, so that a substantially perfect fit is obtained. In this fashion, a liquid-tight seal is obtained in an extremely economical manner.

The hole 3 is preferably arranged in a corner portion of the top portion 2 to facilitate easy pouring. The holes 6 prevent the entrapment of any liquid by the flanged portion, 5 of the spout. The size of the spout 4 is limited only by the size of the top portion 2 and by the fact that there must be some of the top paper material surrounding the periphery of the hole 3 to provide the elasticity which facilitates the tight seal. The

cylindrical shape makes the spout function like a radial spring somewhat in the fashion of the piston sealing rings of an internal combustion engine.

Since the parts are so simple, the container need not cost very much more than the usual container of the box type. The inventive features may be applied to any size of container.

The spout 4, in addition to functioning as a spout, has an additional advantage that cannot be ignored. Half-pint rectangular paper milk containers of the type illustrated are commonly.

provided by venders on railroad trains and other places, with the customer being given straws for use in suckin the milk from the container. These straws are considerably longer than the container is high, and, when the container is set down by the user, the straws tend to unbalance and flop about. With the spout 4 automatically extended by the user in removing the cap, suflicient steadying is provided to prevent this flopping about of the straws. Thus the invention is of considerable advantage not only as a pouring spout but when straws are used to suck the liquid from the container. The spout has the further advantage of preventing liquid from splashing out when the container is full and is shaken by being carried or used in a railroad train.

I claim: Y

1. A liquid beverage package container comprising a waxed paper box for containing the beverage and having a flat top portion with a circular hole therethrough in which a waxed paper cylindrical pouring spout is press-fitted in a retracted position so it may be extended and with the wax of said portion and of said spout cohering to form a liquid-tight seal that may be broken by the ultimate user when extending said spout for use, the paper of said portion and of said spout being elastically flexible so that the periphery of said hole in said top portion pressingly engages the outer surface of said cylindrical spout when the'spout is extended forming a substantially liquid-tight joint.

2. A container as defined by claim 1 with a cap applied to the top of said spout with a portion engaging a greater area of the spout than does the edge of said top portion defining said hole so its resistance to removal by an upward pull is greater than the spouts resistance to extension, whereby a pull upward on said cap first extends said spout prior to removing said cap.

LOUISE A. SHERRY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,099,896 Harbeck June. 9, 1914 1,276,382 Loveland Aug. 20, 1918 1,585,331 Downing, Jr. May 18, 1926 1,733,889 Laughlin Oct. 29, 1929 1,745,382 Rogers Feb. 4, 1930 1,830,956 Geist Nov. 3, 1931 2,042,996 John June 2, 1936 2,077,341 Martin et al Apr. 13, 1937 2,194,011 Davidson Mar. 19, 1940 2,231,412 McCarthy Feb. 11, 1941 2,353,521 Steffens July 11, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 365,255 Great Britain Jan. 21, 1932 

